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Have you heard the expression “the Internet of Things” yet? Sometimes referred to as the “IoT”, the rapid expansion of this idea around the globe promises to transform daily life in just a few years. It will likely revolutionize the practice of medicine and health care in the USA.

A Dynamic Industry in Transition

During the past two decades, both the medical industry and medical industry marketing underwent some dramatic changes in the United States. Analysts have cited at least three significant forces impacting this transformation:

First, the rapid pace of technological change, especially the popularity of mobile technology, empowered consumers by giving the public convenient access to information. During previous generations, patients often found their health care choices limited within a local community or geographic area. Now the Internet has enabled the public to harness the power of vast streams of information. An interested consumer can review listings for available providers in many health care specialties before scheduling an appointment. “Medical tourism” in which patients travel to obtain specific medical services has grown in economic importance recently, too.

Second, the passage of the Affordable Care Act during the Obama Administration created a seismic change in the provision of health care service in the USA. Consumers, medical practices, hospitals and insurance companies all experienced these impacts. While many aspects of the legislation remain controversial and Congress may decide to change important provisions of the federal law in the future, no one can deny the new regulatory structure has impacted health care providers and patients significantly already.

Third, critical demographic changes in the population in the United States continue to affect the provision of medical services, as well. As members of the large “Baby Boomer” demographic enter their retirement years, some experts caution critical provider shortages will occur in some health care professions. This situation may prompt further state legislative changes. For example, in places such as Minnesota and Nebraska, where severe physician shortages in some rural areas created public hardship, well-qualified nurses have obtained legislative permission to diagnose and treat patients as independent Nurse Practitioners. Similar legislative efforts may gain impetus in some other markets facing a high demand for medical services.

Prepare For The Internet of Things

Technological advances in robotics and artificial intelligence will soon add yet another disruptive technological shift to the very complex medical marketing field. As computers have grown increasingly powerful, new generations of high tech products hold the promise of further automating and extending Internet-connectivity to objects. The Internet of Things has already begun significantly impacting medicine and patient care. Medical practices which embrace this technology shift enjoy a distinct advantage.

For instance, for several years exercise monitors such as Fitbit have permitted consumers to connect to the Internet even during mobile exercise activities. From Apple watches to “wearable tech”, a variety of objects equipped with WiFi and computerized chips routinely report information online in real time to manufacturers and retailers. Many of these gadgets will potentially enhance health proactively in the future. Some wearable fitness gadgets even issue an alert when reported physical parameters suggests a customer should consider scheduling a routine health check up. A “smart” fitness device could email the wearer with this recommendation, for example.

Analysts have also noticed a surge in wearable medical devices. These instruments remotely notify a treating physician about a patient’s health status, enabling faster emergency care during a crisis. New models of cardiac pacemakers illustrate this trend. Expect to see more sophisticated Internet-connected devices and gadgets enter the medical marketplace in the near future. Industry analysts predict enterprise marketplace devices will dominate, with fully 40% of all IoT gadgets in use by 2019 relating to proprietary networks. (Any future national infrastructure re-building projects will likely incorporate IoT connectivity, too, potentially changing many aspects of society in profound ways during the next decade.)

The Value of Adaptability

As the medical services marketplace continues to change and evolve, medical practice managers must remain well informed about changing trends and available new technologies. Best Edge SEO appreciates the importance of paying close attention to medical marketing issues. We follow this specialized field closely in order to pass the benefits of our marketing expertise along to our clients.

To remain well-informed about current developments in the medical industry, visit the Best Edge SEO website at https://www.bestedgemedicalmarketing.com frequently. You can also call us at (919)256-3788 to obtain assistance developing you niche medical marketplace using cost-effective online resources!

An Important Medical Industry Technology Shift: The Arrival of The Internet of Things was last modified: January 22nd, 2018 by Chase

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We specialize in medical & healthcare Internet marketing and life science marketing. We have locations in Raleigh North Carolina and Tampa Florida. Medical Internet / SEO marketing is a specialty that requires outstanding writing skills and forethought, which is exactly why...